On the self-cultivation of baristas | not all people who can make coffee are called "baristas"

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What is Barista? Literally, it means Bar Tender in Italian, that is, the person who operates the bar. The Italian Bar is naturally a coffee bar. In the field of coffee, what we call Barista does not simply refer to the people who stand behind the bar in black aprons and operate the coffee machine, but refer to the coffee workers who make coffee drinks for their guests. So, no matter they are used to making coffee drinks with hand pots, siphon pots, or coffee machines, we can all be called Barista-- baristas.

A little deeper, what does a good Barista barista need to have? Of course, it's not as simple as operating an espresso machine or cooking a single item in a siphon pot. In addition to basic cooking skills, a good barista needs the following conditions:

1. Proficient in the work flow of the bar: it takes experience and time to accumulate. Even if a good barista has more guests and orders are full of bars, he will not be in a hurry, but efficiently make cups of drinks to the guests. And maintain a certain quality.

2. A certain degree of professional knowledge: in addition to participating in some professional training, it is very important for baristas to discuss and communicate with peers or enthusiasts. Only when you have a certain understanding of coffee can you ensure the quality of coffee.

3. Continuous learning: coffee research is undoubtedly a great knowledge, from coffee cultivation to coffee culture, every link needs to be studied. For baristas, there is always something to learn.

4. Be a teacher instead of a salesman: every guest who enters the door may not know anything about coffee. From the barista's point of view, our goal is not to tell him to come up with money to buy you a cup of coffee, but to tell him the story of a good cup of coffee in the shortest time and let the guests know what good coffee is. Although not every guest is willing to accept it, but for baristas The importance of educating guests is as important as brewing coffee.

5. Barista = shop facade: customers who are willing to consume boutique coffee have one thing in common, that is, pay attention to quality. so they don't want to see baristas who are in a hurry or talk and laugh while doing their homework, nor do they want to enter a cafe with a dirty bar. and it is the barista who keeps the facade clean and tidy, not only the core character of the cafe, but also the front line in the face of the customers. because of this. Baristas must respect their work, improve their quality, respect themselves and respect their guests.

These five key points are only the basis for becoming a professional barista, and a first-class barista has more qualifications, just like a star chef, who can fully understand the characteristics of equipment and raw materials and use them to make artistic changes. Also be able to create their own style and promote coffee culture, so that guests can be interested and integrate into life. In addition, they also need to know their position in the coffee industry. Because they are at the junction of producers and consumers at the end, they will have a certain sense of mission to present existing quality coffee to guests. Of course, educate guests and community residents and pass on their experience to new baristas who have just entered the field of coffee. It is the responsibility of a senior barista.

In addition to the above barista personality traits, we add some more in-depth things.

1. The guest is always right!?

For the service industry, it is true that customers are always right. Unless it is really messy, the service industry should always give priority to the requirements of the customers. what about baristas? We know very well that guests often have incorrect ideas and ideas about coffee, but we should not force our guests to accept our rules just because we are baristas who combine knowledge and technology. On the contrary, since we are baristas with knowledge and technology, we should use our knowledge and technology to meet the requirements of every guest, so that everyone can taste satisfactory coffee.

We can divide the literacy of coffee people into three levels: consumers, enthusiasts and professionals. Coffee people at the consumer level may understand or know a little about coffee, but they drink coffee in order to drink coffee. If they say it tastes good, they will follow it. Anyway, I wish I had a happy feeling in my heart. Enthusiasts are consumers who understand coffee, because they know enough, so they begin to pursue a perfect cup of coffee without thinking too much about the cost. Enthusiasts will stick to the concept of coffee and firmly believe that they are right. And professionals, in addition to operating their own roasting and cooking tools, also know about coffee to a certain extent, so they will calculate the cost and adjust the price to a range acceptable to guests. On the contrary, professionals are less likely to argue or force to promote their ideas about coffee, because guests are always right, and the easiest way to change their ideas is to make a good cup of coffee and let guests feel it with their tongues. Professional baristas, who have not reached the professional stage, may face many obstacles in operation.

2. Coffee philosophy

Every barista has his own opinion and philosophy of coffee, especially when it comes to what is perfect coffee. On this point, the editor tends to pursue a platonic coffee philosophy: there is a lot of ordinary coffee in the world, but there must be a perfect cup of coffee somewhere. Maybe in this life, maybe never, we don't have to force ourselves to get a perfect cup of coffee. Because that perfect cup of coffee may not be physical, we may lose a lot of good coffee because of this.

It's like we're in a dark cave, judging the shadow of the torch, thinking that this is the way the world is. But when someone came out of the cave, they found that this was not the case. In the knowledge of coffee, we often make the mistake of making coffee small. Like Plato's parable, we should explore the world of coffee with a more open mind.

So the editor likes to listen to people talk about coffee, listen to each coffee person's ideas and ideas, and then absorb the experience and views of these people. If you don't read more, listen more and learn more, you will only become a Yorkshire puppy trained by SCA.

3. Humanistic accomplishment

Baristas do later, humanistic literacy is also very important. after a long period of training in bar skills, every barista can reach a certain level, but without humanistic literacy, baristas lack creativity, style and spiritual pith. The coffee made by baristas is not just a cup of coffee that can be sold, but also sells a kind of spirit and culture. the reason why cafes are attractive The reason is that consumers appreciate the unique cultural and cultural atmosphere of the cafe.

4. Cleanliness addiction

This is not to think too much, every barista should be a bit addicted to cleanliness, so as to maintain a certain quality of coffee. Remember, our street stall cooking chef, fire big oil so heroic burning, after boiling directly with water to continue to stir-fry next pot What we do is boutique coffee, and boutique cafes are just like boutique clothing stores. Except for fashion and style, cleanliness and tidiness is absolutely paramount. Think about whether the counters on the international boutique floor of department stores are spotless, and there will be absolutely no dust on them even if they have been left unsold for a whole season. The products are neatly displayed and there is absolutely no sense of clutter or haste. Since as a barista in a boutique cafe We have to achieve the same level as the boutique counter.

5. Industrial positioning

A simple question is, as a barista, how do you define your role in the coffee industry? This is a topic that SCA and BGA have been talking about these years. Why become a barista instead of a bean supplier? Why not press sandwiches and go into the bar to make coffee? Now that you have become a barista, what do you want to do? In the coffee industry chain, baristas are the bridge between consumers and coffee industry, because baristas have the most contact with customers and understand their needs and preferences best. at the same time, baristas work not only meets consumers' demand for fine coffee, but also includes the promotion of boutique coffee, which involves the integration of communication and marketing, as well as quality management.

Why did you walk into the bar? Presumably many baristas will have the same answer as the editor. A passion for coffee. But what do you want to do as a barista? This is for every barista to ask himself, either to pursue good coffee, to serve, or to make money. Although the editor has not been involved in any part of the coffee industry chain, the editor knows that every aspect of fine coffee is not careless. As a barista, "I want to make the best performance of the coffee I have." Let consumers understand the beauty of boutique coffee. "is the highest enthusiasm.

Finally, let's analyze the pros and cons of barista work.

Advantages are: you can drink a variety of different coffee, you can show the most handsome side to the guests, you can tell a lot about coffee to others, you can operate a coffee machine worth hundreds of thousands...

Disadvantages are: often coffee has not come out of the guest will say "I do not want sour (bitter)," talked for a long time guests or in your boutique coffee with cream and sugar, guests drink a mouthful to complain to you "how so sour (bitter)," working hours are also very long, low salary technical work, company benefits are usually very low, the company's probability of collapse than small businesses more than 3 times; If you have your own roast coffee, the chance of lung disease will be higher...

Although the work of baristas is not easy, in order to create a better coffee culture and coffee quality, I believe that most baristas are working hard for this ideal. Let's encourage each other!

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